Guzmania alboroseaxc3x97(Guzmania lingulataxc3x97Guzmania lingulata var. minor) cultivar xe2x80x98Violaxe2x80x99.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania plant, botanically known as Guzmania alboroseaxc3x97(Guzmania lingulataxc3x97Guzmania lingulata var. minor) and referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Violaxe2x80x99.
Guzmania is native to tropical America. Leaves of the Guzmania are usually formed as basal rosettes which are stiff and arranged in several vertical ranks. Guzmania have terminal flower spikes of panicles which are often bracted with petals united in a tube about as long as the calyx.
The new Guzmania is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lithia, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Guzmania cultivars with a plant habit appropriate for container production, desirable flowering habit and inflorescence coloration, and good postproduction longevity.
The new Guzmania originated from a cross made by the Inventor in Lithia, Fla. in March, 1993, of an unidentified selection of Guzmania alborosea, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Guzmania lingulataxc3x97Guzmania lingulata var. minor) cultivar Ultra, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,221, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Viola was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Lithia, Fla., in June, 1996.
Asexual reproduction of the new Guzmania by off-shoots in a controlled environment in Lithia, Fla. since October, 1996, has shown that the unique features of this new Guzmania are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations. Asexual reproduction of the new Guzmania by tissue culture done in a laboratory in Sebring, Fla. since June, 1998, has also confirmed that the unique features of this new Guzmania are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new Guzmania has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Violaxe2x80x99 and distinguish xe2x80x98Violaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and outwardly arching plant habit.
2. Medium green-colored foliage.
3. Inflorescences held upright and above foliage on strong scapes.
4. Branched inflorescences with showy red purple flower bracts.
5. Long-lasting inflorescences that maintain good coloration for about two to three months.
Plants of the new Guzmania can be compared to plants of the female parent, the unidentified selection of Guzmania albarosea. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lithia, Fla., plants of the new Guzmania differed from plants of the female parent in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Guzmania had lighter green-colored leaves than plants of the female parent.
2. Plants of the new Guzmania had shorter inflorescence spikes than plants of the female parent.
3. Plants of the new Guzmania had red purple-colored flower bracts whereas plants of the female parent had pink-colored flower bracts.
Plants of the new Guzmania can be compared to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Ultra. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lithia, Fla., plants of the new Guzmania differed from plants of the cultivar Ultra in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Guzmania were larger than plants of the cultivar Ultra.
2. Plants of the new Guzmania had longer inflorescence spikes than plants of the cultivar Ultra.
3. Plants of the new Guzmania had red purple-colored flower bracts whereas plants of the cultivar Ultra had dark purple-colored flower bracts.
Of the commercial Guzmania cultivars known to the Inventor, none compare well to the new Guzmania due to its unique flower bract coloration.